30+ Gifts Actors REALLY Need

It makes sense that people with the ability to perform a flawless 500 word monologue with blistered feet and under hot lights during a year-round allergy season compounded with that endless weight of existential dread (oh, just me then?) would be well-practiced in making things look effortless. But behind it, these folks are also running a full-time business. Here are a few things to make their journey a little easier. (Many thanks to my wonderful friends who contributed to this guide; may Santa bring you a contract of gold.) *P.S., I’ve rounded things up to the nearest dollar because it’s much easier to read.

Subscriptions

Casting Websites

Actors spend a staggering amount of money just to have the ability to be submitted for any job through various casting services. And the rub is that they often are expected to be on most, if not ALL of them simultaneously.

Actor’s Access– $68/yr. This also includes access to Showfax.com for audition sides.LACasting -$15/mo (free for represented actors), but posting new photos ($25/ea) and video clips ($5/mo) is another option.Backstage.com– $140/yr gives you access to casting calls and the digital edition of Backstage Magazine.

Passes/Memberships

MoviePass– starts at $15/month. An excellent way to keep up with new releases, this pass allows the cardholder to see a new film each day.Center Theatre Group Annual Membership– $125/yr. Perks include same seat guarantee for all performances, saving up to 50% on tickets, and special ticket pre-sales.AAA-Prices Vary. Los Angeles is a car town, and cars are expensive and have a knack for breaking down at the worst times. This card is a savior.

Streaming Services

HBO Now-$15/month – The best writing and acting is on television these days. YMMV.Netflix -starts at $8/month. The home of the binge-watch.Hulu – starts at $8/month. Online home to tons of movies and television shows, including classics (Cheers, Saved by the Bell, Seinfeld) and treasures from across the pond (Miranda, Absolutely Fabulous, Fry and Laurie).

Magazines

Filmmaker Magazine– $18/Year. Quarterly magazine that focuses on independent film. A subscription comes with access to 9 years of digital archives.

Gym Memberships

As a general note, this sort of gift is only recommended if the recipient either A/is a gym rat already or B/Has expressed interest in becoming one. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it. Actors face a lot of scrutiny already, and giving an unwanted gym membership could be interpreted as a hurtful personal judgement. (Many local gyms will cut a deal that is less than the advertised price if you let them know you’re an actor.)

Classical Theatre/Dance/Movement

Antaeus Academy– from $335/8 weeks. Revered Los Angeles theatre company was founded by actors solely upon their love of classical texts. They have new classes every quarter that include training in Shakespeare, movement, voice and dialects. All classes are taught by folks at the top of their game. An absolute treasure.

Microphone with USB connection-$120. So many voiceover auditions can be recorded at home. This came highly recommended from a VO actor. When shopping around, be wary, as not all microphones come with a USB connection like this one. A little on the pricier side of this list, but a good mic is worth its weight in gold.

Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder- $28.50. This stuff is great for EVERYONE! Everyone gets shiny, and shiny doesn’t do anyone any favors. It is colorless, so it works with all skin tones, and it makes your skin look DIVINE on camera. Perfect for looking great on those sweltering summer days.

Naked (Original) Eyeshadow Palette from Urban Decay– $54. Last year, Allure Magazine ran an article wherein they stated that one of these palettes is sold every six seconds. This is the holy grail for being able to create natural makeups that look great on camera. (I have both this and the second one, and have used them endlessly.)

St. Tropez Gradual Tan Lotion- $25. You know when everyone gets a call to be sun-kissed and wear a swimsuit? Whenever they haven’t seen the sun in weeks. As a proponent of slathering on sunscreen, I have to vouch for this for a natural looking glow.

Brother Monochrome Printer- $65. Not everyone has a home-printer, which proves pretty inconvenient for that last-minute audition. One of my friends is a series regular, and this bad-boy has been spitting out his audition pages for 3 seasons and counting.

HEADSHOTS

Like I was gonna let it go without mentioning these! They are, by FAR, an actor’s biggest expense and most-important marketing tool. A headshot package from a good photographer is a game changer. Here are a few recent favorites from some of my shoots.

I hope this post helps with your last-minute gift giving. I used affiliate links (obvs, cause they’re ugly and I’m new at this.) But only on things I was going to post anyway, so using them or not, I highly recommend everything on this list. What did I miss?!?! Let me know in the comments.